Mohamed Al-Fayed, Billionaire Whose Son Died With Princess Diana, Sies

Mohamed al-Fayed, the self-made Egyptian billionaire who bought the Harrods department store and promoted the discredited conspiracy theory that the British royal family was behind the death of his son and Princess Diana, has died, his family said.

Born in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, al-Fayed began his career selling fizzy drinks and then worked as a sewing machine salesman. He built his family's fortune in real estate, shipping, and construction, first in the Middle East and then in Europe.

Although al-Fayed owned establishment symbols such as Harrods, Fulham, and the Ritz hotel in Paris, he was always an outsider in Britain, tolerated but not embraced.